Tuesday, February 28, 2006

I recently bought the US release of the Arctic Monkeys debut album. As I don't really like it, nor do I really like this kind of music, it occurred to me that I am a sheep and as gullible as the next person. Thinking back on why I bought it, I realized there were 3 different influences that led up to the purchase.

1. A comment on this blog by Magnus2. An article in the Guardian about them winning the NME awards3. An article on from the Beeb about how fast their debut album was selling.

These 3 influences worked in around a month to convince me to buy something strictly on the basis of curiosity. I wonder how much of their success is based on just this. Looking over the reviews on iTunes, you see about an equal split of "love it" vs. "overhyped crap."

It got me thinking about how quickly trends spread in the UK and I thought about Elvis Costello's quote around the London scene being like, "a crowded nightclub where everyone's jostling for elbow room."

The UK acts as a viral incubator. The effect of the claustrophobic environment means that your 3 (or however many) interactions will happen more rapidly there and the trends will spread much more quickly. By the time it begins to spread across the shores, it feels like a mass movement that has enveloped an island of 65 million (who have a history of spotting trends).

4 comments:

Have you guys heard of a band called Bloc Party? Seriously though, Murray asked me what was in my iPod back in June during my interview here (my response: 50 Cent, The Game, and Oasis - when I realized he didn't know the other 2). He recommended Bloc Party and I downloaded it when I got back to New York. Conclusion: Murray is more influential than Magnus, the Guardian, and the Beeb combined. I am a really fast adopter. I strongly refute the fact that as a job applicant with little knowledge about the rock and alternative scene I was more impressionable or eager to impress than Adrian. That's just not how I roll or look for a hiring edge... shit.

Couldn't have. Magnus was at the pub watching a Chelsea match. And before that he was traveling. Remember, he used to be the planner with all the miles. Now he has to take quarter-day trips to Chicago and back to keep his BA status.